Launching Renewable Energy Pilots in Tyonek Alaska

Rural Alaskan Indigenous communities face a unique set of challenges when trying to maintain their energy sovereignty and climate resilience due to aging and neglected energy infrastructure that isn't cost efficient for utilities to maintain and service. The isolated nature of these tribal communities,
accessible only by plane or boat, and the reliance on land resources and
subsistence living make them particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of fossil fuel consumption, sometimes even having to fly it into their villages.

Launching the Renewable Energy Startup Pilots with Tebughna for Rural Alaskan Villages project aims to introduce innovative clean and affordable renewable technologies to support sustainable improvements in the daily lives of rural tribal community members. The project aims to pilot three renewable energy startup technologies to address high energy burden costs during winter, grid and energy instability, and the dependence on diesel generators and heating oil. The inability of many residents to afford their electric bills has forced them to leave their lands and homes. 

Only 168 full time residents remain in Tyonek, Alaska and it will only continue to decline, unless we bring in new solutions that will help make enduring the winter more bearable. What is even worse is the fact that this is happening all over Alaska to all the native villages that have not implemented a way to sustainably profitably generate their own energy independence. The average energy burden that Tyonek Residents have to pay is 18% of their average total income which is over 6 times higher than the national average energy burden rate of 3%, the national average energy burden for low income is 8.6%. We need to reduce the energy burden rate for rural Alaskan tribal communities to a range of 6-9% if we want to see that the community year round resident population begin to increase.

Instead of making the tribe send out a request for a solution, we want to include them in process of how they want to solve it and give them the first seat at the table around what they will allow into their community or not.

The solution we are proposing includes piloting three different renewable energy startup technologies to address high energy burden costs during winter, grid and energy instability, and dependence on diesel generators and heating oil. By providing access to affordable, reliable, and clean energy, we aim to reduce the energy burden rate for rural Alaskan tribal communities to a range of 6-9%, which will help increase the year-round resident population.

The real solution is to establish a foundation of trust and open communication with the tribal community leaders who serve their community and members. We wanted to find a way to discuss what would be the best approach for us to entertain the idea of exploring what potential opportunities there could be. The first thing we did was set expectations with if at any time this was not comfortable then we would immediately pause or stop. We went through multiple iterations with learning how to connect a startup with them. We tried email, phone numbers, until I realized that they would prefer for me to get more information for them ahead of time from the startup, what did they do, what is their technology etc. We finally agreed that having the startups use a sign up form to request a meeting with the Tebughna foundation was the best way to proceed. Figuring that process out, set the tone for how they would like to process discussions about small field pilot demonstrations with renewables. So we created a form for that so they could get the bigger picture of what the startup had in mind - who, what, where, when,

why, how, requests, obligations, unknowns, risks, and questions. This way they could discuss their questions, concerns, and conflicts with me first and then I could negotiate it with the startups that way until they reached a level of comfort where they wanted to meet with the startup and agree to set it up. 

Initially, we serve the Tebughna Foundation and its 168 Tribal Members, the renewable energy startups, and . From there we hope to expand to serving other rural Alaskan Indigenous communities. These communities face unique challenges related to energy sovereignty and climate resilience due to their isolated nature and reliance on land resources and subsistence living. The project aims to introduce innovative clean and affordable renewable technologies to address high energy burden costs during winter, grid and energy instability, and the dependence on diesel generators and heating oil. The ultimate goal is to support sustainable improvements in the daily lives of rural tribal community members, reduce the energy burden rate, and increase year-round resident populations. The project also prioritizes including the community in the process of solving the problem and giving them a seat at the table to make decisions about what solutions will be implemented. 

There is no solution that can address all of their needs, but this solution is a great entry point into renewable energy and clean tech solutions that could solve the majority of them.  

The target population for the solution is the rural Alaskan Indigenous Tebughna Tribe who are facing a unique set of challenges in maintaining their energy sovereignty and climate resilience. These communities are located in remote areas accessible only by plane or boat, and they rely heavily on subsistence living and land resources. However, the aging and neglected energy infrastructure in these communities is not cost-efficient for utilities to maintain and service, making them vulnerable to the negative impacts of fossil fuel consumption.

To understand their needs, we have engaged with the Tebughna Foundation, the Native Village Corporation of Tyonek, the tribal community members through various channels such as community meetings, phone calls, and surveys. We have also consulted with local community leaders and elders to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural and traditional values of the community, and how we can respect and incorporate them into our solution.

We are taking a community-led approach to develop the solution, which involves working with the community members to identify their specific energy needs and goals. Our project, "Launching Renewable Energy Startup Pilots with Tebughna for Rural Alaskan Villages," aims to introduce innovative clean and affordable renewable technologies to support sustainable improvements in the daily lives of rural tribal community members.

Even though we are not an Indigenous-led solution, we are committed to ensuring that the solution benefits is located within the Indigenous community(s) it aims to benefit. We are working with the tribal community members to identify suitable locations for the renewable energy technologies and incorporating their feedback and preferences into the planning and implementation process. Our goal is to empower the community to take ownership of the solution and benefit directly from it.

Positive Deviancy has been meeting with the Tebughna foundation 2-4 hours a week for the past 6 months, we have been working very closely, but remotely with Indigenous communities in rural Alaska for nearly a year, building strong relationships and gaining a deep understanding of their unique needs and challenges. The Tebughna Foundation's team is lead by a local native Tyonek member who grew up in one of the rural villages we are serving. This proximity to and representation of the communities we are serving ensures that we are approaching this work with cultural humility and a deep respect for the communities' knowledge and ways of life.

To understand the needs of those we are serving, we have engaged in extensive community outreach and listening sessions. We have held community meetings, conducted surveys, group interviews, and conducted individual interviews with community members to learn about their energy needs, challenges, and aspirations. We have also worked closely with local leaders and traditional knowledge holders to incorporate their perspectives and insights into our design and implementation of deploying renewable field pilots processes.

Our solution is meaningfully guided by the communities' input, ideas, and agendas. We are committed to a collaborative and participatory approach, where community members are involved in decision-making at every stage of the project. We believe that this approach is essential for developing a solution that is truly responsive to the needs of the communities we are serving and that will have a meaningful and lasting impact on their lives.

I am applying to Solve because I am worried that my team at the Tebughna Foundation will not have a chance to before the deadline because they are at capacity with trying to raise capital funds to finance a 1.2MW Solar Farm installation for the community members that are struggling to pay their $800 + electric bills in the wintertime. 

I would love to partner with other Solver teams who could share new and innovative ways to find help/funding so that I could bring it back to the Tebughna Foundation team. I also have resources and DOE funding guidance that I could share back. For example, the Whitehouse just released the Inflation Reduction Act Tribal Guidebook and there is also https://www.energy.gov/indiane... where there is a lot of amazing data and tools that could help. 

Specific barriers that would be useful to get support around for me personally would be around business model and internal team building.

I have been supporting the Tebughna Foundation for the past year trying to help them get enough capital funding raised through grants and other means so they will be able to install a 1.2MW solar farm for their community and not have to rely on the electric companies for their power. It was because they were so patient and willing to share more about what they and many of the other Alaskan tribes are facing is what led me to connect with the community and get permission to pilot this with them.